Montana’s election system faced unexpected turmoil when Vice President Kamala Harris was omitted from absentee ballots for overseas voters, leading the state to shut down its electronic voting platform temporarily.
The issue surfaced on Sept. 20 when a Montana voter, Max Himsl, living in the UK, attempted to vote online but found no option to select Harris on his ballot.
Himsl reported the discrepancy to the Flathead County Election Department, prompting the Montana Secretary of State’s office, run by Republican Christi Jacobson, to take down the electronic absentee system for troubleshooting.
The office quickly addressed the issue, stating that only a small number of voters were impacted and that the error affected only electronic absentee ballots for members of the armed forces and U.S. citizens living abroad.
The system was back online later that same day.
In a statement to Newsweek, a spokesperson for the Secretary of State’s office clarified:
“The potentially impacted UOCAVA voter [Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act] has since been contacted, and no further action is required. Vice President Kamala Harris and all certified candidates appear on Montana’s ballots.”
Although the issue was resolved, the incident has ignited controversy, especially among Montana Democrats. Max Croes, former vice chair of the Montana Democratic Party, criticized the Secretary of State on X (formerly Twitter), calling the situation “criminal” and accusing the office of being an arm of the “corrupt Montana GOP.”
The error has also led to renewed scrutiny of Jacobson’s office, which has been involved in several high-profile election disputes.
In July 2024, Jacobson was threatened with a lawsuit by the group Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights for removing the names of inactive voters from a petition seeking to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution.
A court later ruled that Jacobson must reinstate the removed signatures while the case proceeds.
Jacobson’s office has also faced criticism for election law changes that were struck down by the Montana Supreme Court.
These laws, which included restrictions on same-day voter registration and student ID usage, were deemed unconstitutional, but Jacobson is appealing the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Despite the backlash, Jacobson’s office reassured voters that this latest ballot error would not affect physical absentee ballots or Election Day ballots in Montana.
Kamala Harris, along with candidates Donald Trump, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Chase Oliver, and Jill Stein, will all be listed on the final Montana ballot.
